或 meaning and stroke order
Maybe; perhaps; might
How to write 或, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 8
Meaning of 或
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- maybe
- perhaps
- might
- possibly
- or
How 或 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To defend yourself 口 with a spear 戈; "or else".
Radical: 戈 (spear), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 或
Picture a mouth 口 standing on the ground 一 next to a spear 戈. You either defend yourself with the spear, or else you are in trouble, so 或 (huò) means "or" and "maybe".
或 (huò) links two choices in statements, often in the fuller form 或者 (huòzhě), and it also means "perhaps" in words like 或许 (huòxǔ). Example: 你可以喝茶或咖啡。 (Nǐ kěyǐ hē chá huò kāfēi.) You can drink tea or coffee.
Common mistake: Learners often use 或者 in questions, but in a question asking someone to choose you need 还是 (háishi), as in 你喝茶还是咖啡？ Also do not confuse 或 with 国 (guó, country), whose traditional form 國 contains 或 inside a box.
Common words with 或
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
或 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 或
Learning 或 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 或
How many strokes are in 或?
或 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 或 mean?
或 (huò) means maybe; perhaps; might. A common word with it is 或者 (huòzhě), meaning "or; possibly; maybe; perhaps".
How do you pronounce 或?
或 is pronounced huò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 或?
The radical of 或 is 戈, which carries the idea of "spear". Dictionaries list 或 under this radical.
Is 或 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 或 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 或 and 或者?
They mean the same thing. 或 alone is shorter and more common in writing and set phrases, while 或者 is the usual choice in everyday speech.
How do you use 或多或少?
或多或少 (huòduō-huòshǎo) means "more or less" or "to some degree". For example, 每个人或多或少都有压力。 (Měi gè rén huòduō-huòshǎo dōu yǒu yālì.) Everyone has some stress, more or less.